During our first 3 years, we have joined bipartisan efforts to restore protection of the law to unborn children.  Now, I know this issue is very controversial.  But unless and until it can be proven that an unborn child is not a living human being, can we justify assuming without proof that it isn’t?  No one has yet offered such proof; indeed, all the evidence is to the contrary.  We should rise above bitterness and reproach, and if Americans could come together in a spirit of understanding and helping, then we could find positive solutions to the tragedy of abortion.

Economic recovery, better education, rededication to values, all show the spirit of renewal gaining the upper hand.  And all will improve family life in the eighties.  But families need more.  They need assurance that they and their loved ones can walk the streets of America without being afraid.  Parents need to know their children will not be victims of child pornography and abduction.  This year we will intensify our drive against these and other horrible crimes like sexual abuse and family violence.

Already our efforts to crack down on career criminals, organized crime, drugpushers, and to enforce tougher sentences and paroles are having effect.  In 1982 the crime rate dropped by 4.3 percent, the biggest decline since 1972.  Protecting victims is just as important as safeguarding the rights of defendants.

Opportunities for all Americans will increase if we move forward in fair housing and work to ensure women’s rights, provide for equitable treatment in pension benefits and Individual Retirement Accounts, facilitate child care, and enforce delinquent parent support payments.

It’s not just the home but the workplace and community that sustain our values and shape our future.  So, I ask your help in assisting more communities to break the bondage of dependency.  Help us to free enterprise by permitting debate and voting “yes” on our proposal for enterprise zones in America.  This has been before you for 2 years.  Its passage can help high-unemployment areas by creating jobs and restoring neighborhoods.

A society bursting with opportunities, reaching for its future with confidence, sustained by faith, fair play, and a conviction that good and courageous people will flourish when they’re free—­these are the secrets of a strong and prosperous America at peace with itself and the world.

A lasting and meaningful peace is our fourth great goal.  It is our highest aspiration.  And our record is clear:  Americans resort to force only when we must.  We have never been aggressors.  We have always struggled to defend freedom and democracy.

We have no territorial ambitions.  We occupy no countries.  We build no walls to lock people in.  Americans build the future.  And our vision of a better life for farmers, merchants, and working people, from the Americas to Asia, begins with a simple premise:  The future is best decided by ballots, not bullets.